Tri-Town asks Navy to reject SouthField changes

Wednesday

Jun 18, 2014 at 4:45 AMJun 18, 2014 at 3:13 PM

Christian Schiavone The Patriot Ledger @CSchiavo_Ledger

WEYMOUTH – The quasi-governmental agency overseeing redevelopment at the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station is asking the Navy to oppose sweeping changes proposed for the stalled project by its master developer.

The developer, Starwood Land Ventures, says the request is a “last ditch” effort by South Shore Tri-Town Development Corp. to gum up the process as the company is negotiating a deal with Weymouth’s mayor to get behind legislation that would rewrite the future of the project, called SouthField.

And the Navy isn’t saying much of anything.

Tri-Town CEO Kevin Donovan on Monday sent a letter to Navy officials in Washington, D.C., saying Starwood’s plan threatens to upend existing agreements between the Navy and Tri-Town, which would see its authority slashed under Starwood’s proposal.

“We’re getting down to the wire,” Donovan said. “I think it’s time for the Navy to have an opportunity to weigh in. The hope is they would join us in saying we don’t want anything to happen unless or until (Starwood) sits down to talk to the public partners, the Navy being one of them.”

Donovan said Starwood’s proposed changes would raise questions for a $25 million deal the Navy signed to transfer its remaining land at the former base in 2011. The deal included paying the Navy $2 million up front, $1 million a year for 10 years and an estimated $13 million from future land sales.

The Navy is also still cleaning up parts of the property still officially listed as federal Superfund sites because of contamination from years of military use.

But Starwood Vice President Matthew Barry said the Navy has long been aware of the proposed changes, which Barry said would not affect the existing agreements.

“The reality is that SouthField has languished under the management of Tri-Town,” Barry said in a statement provided by a spokesman. “The Tri-Town letter appears to be a last ditch, desperate attempt to run out the clock on these necessary changes.”

Melanie Ault, coordinator of the Navy’s base realignment and closure program, said the Navy will respond to Tri-Town’s letter. She declined to comment further, including on whether the Navy has seen Starwood’s proposed legislation, until after that response is made.

The Navy closed the 1,400-acre base in 1997 and agreed to turn the land over for development, based largely on the promise of hundreds of jobs that would be created by a construction boom and then sustained by the businesses and offices that would open there.

The first home construction got underway in 2011, but commercial development has barely begun to materialize. Major hurdles remain, including the lack of a permanent source of water and sewerage to support further development.

Plans for SouthField include about 2,800 homes and apartments and 900,000 to 2 million square feet of commercial space. About 500 people live there now.

Starwood purchased the previous master developer, LNR, last year and quickly rolled out a plan for changes that the company says are needed to keep the project from grinding to a halt. Starwood and Tri-Town have blamed each other for SouthField teetering on stagnation.

Starwood’s plan would shift responsibility for public services from Tri-Town to Weymouth, Abington and Rockland and allow each town to collect property taxes on its section.

The company wants the Legislature to approve the changes by the time its formal session ends on July 31. If that doesn’t happen, Starwood has said it could walk off the project.

For more than a month, Starwood officials have been in closed-door negotiations with Mayor Susan Kay hammering out the draft legislation. Rockland and Abington have not endorsed the plan.

Christian Schiavone may be reached at cschiavone@ledger.com or follow him on Twitter @CSchiavo_Ledger.